


These Quiet Moments

by quandary



Series: In Distance We're Losing [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Non-Binary Byleth, Post-Time Skip, byleths a non-binary lesbian folks, wherein edelgard overworks herself and worries byleth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21564982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quandary/pseuds/quandary
Summary: Byleth and Edelgard share tea, and a quiet moment.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Series: In Distance We're Losing [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1489439
Comments: 8
Kudos: 123





	These Quiet Moments

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this for my wonderful and kind beta, who wanted to see something from byleth's point of view. written with my other works, oathbreaker & of lavender in mind and as such takes place in that 'verse.
> 
> took a couple of her tea party lines and ran with them, honestly.
> 
> i haven't wrote much of anything in so long, and i'm afraid you can tell...

Night cloaked the grounds of Garreg Mach in shadow, in mystery, despite the warm glow of torchlight. Byleth strode through the grounds, past the guards, past the few who thought themselves stealthy in the dark. Clutched in their hands was a tray, laden with a steaming teapot, and cups.

No one stopped them, bothered them to ask where they were going so late at night. Being one of the Emperor's shadows granted a few perks, wandering the grounds free of harassment was one of them.

Garreg Mach was always different during the night, a touch more sinister. It never bothered Byleth, of course; perhaps because they too were about as unfathomable as the shadows lurking in the corners.

Byleth wound through the dormitories and past the old classrooms of the academy, and up the stairs towards the Monastery proper. There, in the reception hall, Edelgard waited.

They, along with Hubert, spent the better half of the day pouring over maps, troop numbers, plans of deployment, of engagement; war-time minutiae that was at best tedious. At worst, absolutely boring.

Byleth had always been a person of action, one who preferred acting in the moment. Waiting and lurking and scheming was better left to those like Hubert.

Their footsteps echoed in the hollow emptiness. The reception hall glowed with moonlight, and would have been pretty if the stained glass window arch hadn't been shattered into a million shards.

Byleth's green eyes slid from the ruin of glass, and to the left. What used to be Rhea's old office was now the meeting room for Edelgard's inner circle. Byleth strode in quietly.

As expected, Edelgard was leaning over the desk, pouring over a map and tiny figures placed upon it like it was all a silly game. The blue Faerghus pieces stood out, like tiny blue mountains, and seemed as insurmountable. 

Candle light bathed everyone in soft orange hues, the shadows dancing with every flicker of the flame. It just served to make Edelgard's armor a deeper shade of red, a little more bloody.

But no Hubert.

“I sent him away.” Edelgard said before Byleth could question it. With a faint clack, they set the tray down on the bare corner of the desk, where no map and no wooden pieces lay. She did not look up, nor did her look of concentration waver.

“Shall I leave as well?” Byleth asked, doing their best to keep their voice level. A tiny note of discouragement snuck in, despite it all. Wrap themselves up in duty all they want, Edelgard did little to make getting close easy. 

Edelgard was never one for brooding, but lately... lately, she chose to sequester herself away for hours at a time, away even from Hubert. Doing goddess knows what, thinking goddess knows what.

At last, Edelgard looked up, face a thundercloud, before the expression left as quick as it came. No doubt frustrated by the ridiculous game of numbers battle ended up being. Their forces were outnumbered almost two to one.

“No, of course not.” Tension made her shoulders stiff. "Please, stay." Edelgard gave a roll of her shoulders, voice distracted and mind a hundred miles away. Byleth did not ask, did not pry. It wasn’t their place to.

With a faint nod, Byleth busied their hands with the tray, offering Edelgard a still-warm cup of Bergamot tea. The faint tang of citrus wafted up, curled around their nose. A comforting smell, one that made them think of home, of Jeralt. He would often brew (however terribly) a pot of Bergamot in the morning, preferring it to coffee. And now, it made their thoughts wander to her.

The offering snapped Edelgard out of the mire of her thoughts, and the ghost of a smile tucked the corners of her mouth up. Exhaustion made bruises under her eyes.

“Thank you, Byleth.” Their fingers brushed when passing the cup from hand to hand, and Edelgard held their eyes for a moment too long.

“Take a break, if only for a minute.” They urged, voice soft yet insistent. Surely those pieces wouldn’t march off the table if Edelgard turned her back. 

“Yes, I suppose I should. My eyes are starting to cross staring at the map.” A small laugh, however empty it was, erupted from Edelgard. It filled the room, and Byleth offered a tiny smile in return.

“Maybe even sleep,” Byleth continued, filling their own cup with tea. “You look like you haven’t had a proper night’s rest in weeks.” They’ve lost count of the times they found her slumped over the desk.

“I haven’t,” She sipped her cup. A sigh escaped Edelgard, shoulders releasing all the tension they once held. As if the world rested on them, and in a sense it did. “Not in a very long while.” 

They drank the Bergamot tea in silence, no matter how much Byleth wanted to puncture the quiet with their questions. (Why don’t you rely on me? Why don’t you trust me enough to let me help?) 

Instead, Byleth watched the steady rise of the moon from the arrow-slit windows when they weren’t stealing glances at Edelgard’s profile.

“I find spending these quiet moments with you rather comforting.” Edelgard said into her cup. A smile picked at her mouth all the same. “You’re always so calm, and I guess… I find that reassuring. No matter what we’re up against, you manage to keep a level-head.”

“You know I’ll stay by your side,” Byleth placed their empty cup back on the tray, leveling their attention fully on Edelgard. She stood maybe a foot away, but seemed to be miles from home. “That I’m here for you, whatever you may need.”

“You’re beginning to sound like Hubert.” Edelgard teased, a wry smile on her lips. She placed her cup back on the tray, too; seemed to want something to keep her hands busy. A stray lock of white hair escaped the dragon-horn crown, curling around the curve of it.

“I like to think I'm a little more indulgent than Hubert.” Gently, Byleth tucked the lock of hair out of her face. Something in them grew bold, and their hand rested on her cheek. Violet eyes sought out theirs, a question lurking beneath the surface. If they could be her anchor, maybe she wouldn’t be so lost in thought in the small hours of the morning.

“Byleth…” Her voice trailed off uncertainty, and she swallowed. Perhaps it was too bold of them, too presumptuous. But before they could remove their hand, Edelgard covered it with her own; the question in her eyes softened to something closer to wonder.

She drew closer to Byleth, and slowly and softly, kissed them. Her hand traveled to the back of their head, tangling in the long green hair, their kiss deepening. Byleth couldn't help but sigh into it. They broke apart, something inside Byleth singing with bliss.

“I've been wanting to do that for quiet some time, now.” Edelgard murmured, her eyes searched Byleth's face. Colour dusted her cheeks, as if she couldn't quite believe what she let herself do. Frankly, neither could Byleth. It made their mouth run dry, their heart hammer in their chest (or, rather, come close to it considering). The feelings were something Byleth didn't think, or begin to imagine, were returned.

“Perhaps its the lack of sleep talking,” Byleth teased, a smirk twisting their mouth. “but there's never any time like the present.” 


End file.
